Thanks for the "sir", but I would rather think of myself as just another schmuck who is trying to figure these thing out. I wish that age equaled wisdom, but the older I get the more I realize I don't have the answers anymore then any of the rest of the folk do. We are all struggling to solve the problems that face each of us.

Well for all its stumbling around and fucking up, useless managers that love titles or politicians that try and win votes with it, the NHS here in the UK is a damn good system. I get private healthcare through work but only very basic. It has been more then enough through the years. I was planning on increasing my premiums when I'm around 35 in a few years. That was until I got kidney stones in August. Hospitalisation isn't covered in my plan. So I had to go NHS or face paying up to £1000 a night (for a bed and airplane food). I must say the NHS service was SUPERB. Seeing I unfortunately had to have surgery (suckers were about 15mm each) I expected weeks of waiting for an opening. Try 2 days. I also had to have scans which could take up to a week. Try an hour. The food was awesome, menu included with good choice, medication for pain prompt. Each ward had a doctor that made his/her rounds hourly. Morale under the nurses and doctors was great, hospital was super clean and modern. The Hampstead Royal Free was the hospital by the way.

Before I left the hospital 2 days later I was given pain pills with prompt instructions and had a few follow up calls and letters to insure I was ok. I was even offered a consultation with a specialist to make sure there were now long term damage. All this for ... Well, the negligible amount I pay monthly for my National Insurance.

Well for all its stumbling around and fucking up, useless managers that love titles or politicians that try and win votes with it, the NHS here in the UK is a damn good system. I get private healthcare through work but only very basic. It has been more then enough through the years. I was planning on increasing my premiums when I'm around 35 in a few years. That was until I got kidney stones in August. Hospitalisation isn't covered in my plan. So I had to go NHS or face paying up to £1000 a night (for a bed and airplane food). I must say the NHS service was SUPERB. Seeing I unfortunately had to have surgery (suckers were about 15mm each) I expected weeks of waiting for an opening. Try 2 days. I also had to have scans which could take up to a week. Try an hour. The food was awesome, menu included with good choice, medication for pain prompt. Each ward had a doctor that made his/her rounds hourly. Morale under the nurses and doctors was great, hospital was super clean and modern. The Hampstead Royal Free was the hospital by the way.

Before I left the hospital 2 days later I was given pain pills with prompt instructions and had a few follow up calls and letters to insure I was ok. I was even offered a consultation with a specialist to make sure there were now long term damage. All this for ... Well, the negligible amount I pay monthly for my National Insurance.

I might hold off raising my private premiums for a while.

Why the fuck would I want that here in the good ole USA? Fuck that shit. It infringes on all my personal liberties. Communist Brit!

Why the fuck would I want that here in the good ole USA? Fuck that shit. It infringes on all my personal liberties. Communist Brit!

So, what works for you and your supposed liberties in the good ol' USA?

Fortunately, I enjoyed excellent health most of my life. However, my wife has not. The kidney stone story is a reminder that my wife had them when we were both comparatively "youngsters" and had we not had good employer provided medical insurance, we could have been in a world of hurt. Her hurt being quality medical care and my hurt being the out of pocket expense to keep her alive which would have sunk us economically.

So, what works for you and your supposed liberties in the good ol' USA?

Fortunately, I enjoyed excellent health most of my life. However, my wife has not. The kidney stone story is a reminder that my wife had them when we were both comparatively "youngsters" and had we not had good employer provided medical insurance, we could have been in a world of hurt. Her hurt being quality medical care and my hurt being the out of pocket expense to keep her alive which would have sunk us economically.

I was being sarcastic as hell. I'd love for our social safety net to be modeled after England or France instead of the Heritage Foundation.

Does anyone thing that little pussy will leave the board forever? Seriously. Where would he go? What other board out there would tolerate his behavior? Constantly whining and crying, bumping old threads for no reason, derailing every thread he posts on just to exhibit his man crush on Obama? He's got nowhere else to go. So he will drag his little fake ass back here. With some bullshit excuse on why he is posting or under an alter one.

The little bitch has nothing else in his life except the internet. Why else is he just lurking on here reading and PMing people then?

Does anyone thing that little pussy will leave the board forever? Seriously. Where would he go? What other board out there would tolerate his behavior? Constantly whining and crying, bumping old threads for no reason, derailing every thread he posts on just to exhibit his man crush on Obama? He's got nowhere else to go. So he will drag his little fake ass back here. With some bullshit excuse on why he is posting or under an alter one.

The little bitch has nothing else in his life except the internet. Why else is he just lurking on here reading and PMing people then?

now that's a little harsh.i enjoyed his posts and his rants; made for fun reading during the day.If he's still here and reading only - got your PM and will look for you on other boards- are you keeping your 333386 name?

now that's a little harsh.i enjoyed his posts and his rants; made for fun reading during the day.If he's still here and reading only - got your PM and will look for you on other boards- are you keeping your 333386 name?

now that's a little harsh.i enjoyed his posts and his rants; made for fun reading during the day.If he's still here and reading only - got your PM and will look for you on other boards- are you keeping your 333386 name?

Oh my, 333386 better be careful. He just may be in for an entirely different kind of butthurt worse than Nov 6th. Chad, go easy on him, and make sure you use plenty of KY.

I was being sarcastic as hell. I'd love for our social safety net to be modeled after England or France instead of the Heritage Foundation.

Look, it's not a system that works 100% at all times, and there has been some cases where people had to wait months for a particular specialist operation. That does happen. Those stories usually makes it to whatever tabloid has an axe to grind with the government and gets blown out of proportion. Take in account we're a nation of raving hypochondriacs (not myself, I hasten to add) where people tend to run and waste the doctor's time because he 'felt funny this morning and sneezed'. I'd say half the people sitting in any waiting room in this country right now are just looking to moan at someone about some pointless ache or pain. It's just how the people in this country are. They cannot help themselves.

But for the 3-4 times in my life I've needed to see a doctor, everything was super prompt, professional and of the highest quality (as far as I could tell). If anything, they're a bit over the top in their treatments and throw the whole she-bang at you for a seemingly routine procedure. Since I've had this type of care available to me my whole life, I cannot imagine it to be any different anywhere. Especially not in a place such as the States. Granted, I do not know the ins and outs of Obamacare but if it could be a little bit closer to what we have here in the UK, it can only be better for everyone.

Look, it's not a system that works 100% at all times, and there has been some cases where people had to wait months for a particular specialist operation. That does happen. Those stories usually makes it to whatever tabloid has an axe to grind with the government and gets blown out of proportion. Take in account we're a nation of raving hypochondriacs (not myself, I hasten to add) where people tend to run and waste the doctor's time because he 'felt funny this morning and sneezed'. I'd say half the people sitting in any waiting room in this country right now are just looking to moan at someone about some pointless ache or pain. It's just how the people in this country are. They cannot help themselves.

But for the 3-4 times in my life I've needed to see a doctor, everything was super prompt, professional and of the highest quality (as far as I could tell). If anything, they're a bit over the top in their treatments and throw the whole she-bang at you for a seemingly routine procedure. Since I've had this type of care available to me my whole life, I cannot imagine it to be any different anywhere. Especially not in a place such as the States. Granted, I do not know the ins and outs of Obamacare but if it could be a little bit closer to what we have here in the UK, it can only be better for everyone.